Kam Jones spent four years lighting it up at Fiserv Forum in a Marquette uniform. But on February 6, he returned to the building from a new perspective-wearing Indiana Pacers blue and gold, sitting in the visiting locker room after a 105-99 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.
The surroundings were familiar, but the experience? Brand new.
“It was a lot of fun,” Jones said postgame. “Just getting off the plane and inhaling that Milwaukee air.”
That’s a city that shaped his game and his journey, and you could hear the nostalgia in his voice. “It’s always good to land here and think about all the time I’ve had here.”
Jones didn’t have his best outing-he admitted as much-but he’s not dwelling on it. “Came here with the intent to win.
I don’t think I played as good as I’m capable of. But we got another game coming up.”
That’s life in the NBA: no time to linger, even when the moment is sentimental. Still, Jones carved out time for a quick visit to Marquette’s practice and a chat with his former teammates. The connection to his college roots runs deep.
“It’s crazy,” he said. “I feel like it will sink in a little later.
Now, it still hurts me. I feel like it wasn’t that long ago.”
Jones was soaking in the full-circle moment-returning to the arena where he played 65 games, but stepping into a part of the building he’d never seen before: the visitor’s locker room. “As much time as I spent [at Fiserv Forum], I’ve never seen this locker room ever.”
In his 13 minutes on the floor, Jones gave fans a quick reminder of what made him such a force at Marquette. He dropped in one of his signature floaters off the glass, then turned around and got a deflection on the defensive end. It was a flash of the two-way energy that defined his college career.
Rick Carlisle Sees the Intangibles
It’s been anything but a smooth start to Jones’ rookie campaign. Back in October, he was arrested for reckless driving and resisting law enforcement-though no charges were filed, and Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle later clarified it was simply a speeding ticket. Then came a back injury that delayed his debut until December 22.
“It cost him two months at the beginning of the year,” Carlisle said. “That was an obstacle.”
But Carlisle has seen steady growth since Jones got cleared. The rookie’s been logging valuable minutes in the G League and gradually getting up to speed with the NBA pace and physicality.
“Those of you that know him from Marquette know he was in one of the best programs in the country with one of the best coaches with Shaka [Smart],” Carlisle said. “From a basketball IQ standpoint, moxie, feel for the game, character, competitive integrity-I mean, he’s tremendous.”
That moxie Carlisle mentioned? It showed up during the game.
At one point, the coach pulled Jones aside and asked how many points he used to average in the building. It was a subtle way to loosen him up, and it worked.
“Sometimes when I’m out there on the floor I kind of try to play mistake-free,” Jones admitted. “Just me being a rookie and wanting to do my job. And not really try things because I don’t want to mess them up.”
But that reminder from Carlisle took him back to his roots. “He kind of set me back to, yeah, it’s just basketball.
This is what I do.” The next possession?
Jones attacked the rim and finished with a smooth layup.
Adjusting to the League
Like most rookies, Jones is learning how to make an impact in limited minutes-and often without the ball in his hands.
“Especially as a rook coming in, you got to learn how to impact the game in a lot of different ways in a lot more short spans,” he said. “I don’t have the ball obviously nearly as much as I did at Marquette.
Which is normal. Which is natural.
Got to just find ways to plug and play. Plug in and do good things for us.”
That mindset-adaptable, team-first, and focused on growth-is why the Pacers are optimistic about what Jones can become.
And while his NBA journey is just beginning, Jones remains deeply grateful for the foundation he built in Milwaukee.
“Wouldn’t be here without them,” he said of his time at Marquette. “Definitely needed every season. Thankful I stayed all four seasons, for sure.”
For Kam Jones, this wasn’t just a return to a familiar arena. It was a reminder of where he came from-and a small step toward where he’s headed.